MakuluLinux Mate Edition

The first release in our new 6 series dubbed "Imperium" ( Latin for "power to command" ), also our first Solo Mate Build. This release allows users to customise their settings and software apon installation, Now users can setup their desktop the way they want it with the software they want while still experiencing an "out of the box" Experience, those that dont want an out of the "box experience" will now have an option to turn the system into a "barebone" system with a few clicks. MakuluLinux Mate brings users the best of both worlds.

MakuluLinux Mate sports all of the functionality that the 5 series offered, the major difference is that we have placed control into the users hands. The user can now switch animations, wallpaper changer, dockbar on and off at will, install common everyday software with a few clicks... Manage repositories with a few clicks... Much of the use of the terminal has been removed in this release.

Upon First boot after Installation, the user will be presented by the post install utility which will guide him through various settings easily, This will assist new comers to linux to skip difficulty doing the basic nessecities that are required after installation as well as allow them to easily customise the system, Advanced users will also appreciate the ease of being able to simply select an option and skip a series of tiring steps, the Utility is very automated requiring only user interaction when needed.

These new Utilities all written by me, are all Based in the favorites / System tools and other sections of the Menu, So make a point to look for them :)

MakuluLinux Mate Edition provides the same familiarity users had with the 5 series, but with far more control. It allows users to instantly turn the system into a barebone system with minimal software installed, allowing them to install all their own software while keeping the standard makulu look and feel. The user can now install, remove software without even touching the terminal, he can set his closest repository sources and even do a repository repair without touching the terminal. Running on an old system and dont have much ram, user can turn animation on/off, turn wallpaper on/off with a single click.. the power is now in your hands to easily customise your system.

MakuluLinux Installer :

The installer has gone through its fourth upgrade, in the latest version user now has an easy install mode which will allow for a much smoother installation with far less user input required. Additionaly the terminal window which mainly shows the files being copied to hard drive will now also show information on installation progress. The installer has also been split into 2 sections, after initial install upon first reboot user will be guide through a post setup utility which will guide him through setting up his desktop.

News Streaming :

We have upgraded the news streaming feature, instead of putting a document on the user's desktop ( something we saw in the survey alot of users did not like ), we have now linked the news to system startup. Meaning if their is a new news it will download it via standard updates, On the next reboot of the system, the user will be asked if he wants to read the news doc or not, so user now has a choice to read or ignore latest news. The same system is implemented for Important Info.

A lot of optimzations done throughout the distro, With animation, wallpaper changer and dock bar switched off Makulu Mate uses only around 200mb of ram, with all animation on, the ram usage sits at around 260mb of ram on idle, that is extremely low for a Mate edition considering everything implemented into this edition.

MakuluLinux Mate Edition features the following :

Based on Mate 1.8

3.13.x PAE Kernel

MakuluLinux Mate now has FULL Systemd support

The drive/goal behind the 6 series is based on the user survey we conducted, it was clear that users wanted more control over the system, wanted easier navigation, a much simpler installer as well as the ability to have a trimmed down barebone version of makulu with the freedom to install their own software. This whole series is based on user wants and needs, As for this specific release of Makulu Mate, this was a personal battle i had to fight, I started work on this release over a year ago, initially this was going to be the first release of the 4 series, but with much work, many setbacks and frustration I had to put it on hold, This is not simply just a slap it together and put it out there... This release is probably responsible for half of the grey hair i started noticing over the last year, It is a personal score i had to settle, a project i refused to give up on and I hope the result will reflect the ammount of work that went into this build.

I would like to thank everyone that took part in the survey, I have tried to balance all the requests while still maintaining a solid out of the box experience. Expect another survey in very near future...

I also want to thank all the testers, You guys were simply Awesome ! your feedback assisted me greatly, and even critical judgements at times has guided me to make changes I probably would not have done other wise.

[IMPORTANT] Please remember to enable PAE AND 3D Acceleration if you will be running this release in virtualbox.

I am extremely happy and proud of this release, it is the first time MakuluLinux has imprinted its own unique stamp on a build that was built based on feedback from its user base, it is also the first time we are actually doing our own thing and adding value to a distrobution in terms of originality. It is certainly a massive leap forward in the right direction, the end result is a very beautiful, yet powerful and very stable version of Debian Mate 1.8 which is unmatched anywhere on this planet !

Current Known bugs or issues :

The latest Mozo Package in Debian Testing is broken, as a result the default Mate Menu editors are affected, this will hopefully be fixed with next mozo update from developer, However, We have added a Menu Editor in system tools that will allow you to edit your menu.

There are some themes that may conflict with repository or network applet, This i assume is due to limited GTK3 support, however this seems to only be affected with a handfull of themes out of the vast majority available, therefore it is advised to tread carefully when installing or switching themes in mate.

Sometimes in Expert install mode it does not allways change hostname, this bug crept in in the final build of the image and since it only affects expert install ( meaning advanced users ) i would expect those users to not have any trouble changing hostname after install. It is a bug i will fix, the fix simply wont be done in time for release. Easy mode install saves hostname just fine.